Understand

Mangalore is the gateway to Karnataka. It is one of the five talukas (other than Bantwal, Puttur, Sullia, Belthangady taluks) of the Dakshina Kannada District. This District formerly had 8 talukas, but these were split in August 1997 and the remaining talukas, namely Udupi, Kundapur and Karkala then formed a part of the Udupi district,but there is no division found in the living of two cities and it is still being recognised as 'avibhagitha (undivided) Dakshina Kannada.

Mangalore is named after the Goddess Mangaladevi. Other names used by the locals are 'Kudla' (Tulu), 'Mangalooru' (Kannada), 'Mangalapuram' (Malayalam), 'Kodial' (Konkani), 'Mikala' (Beary) and 'Manjarun'(sanskrith).

Traditionally, it was an important trading port with ties with the Persian Gulf states dating back to the 14th century. With its strategic location, it was occupied by a number of dynasties and colonial rulers, namely the Portuguese in the mid-16th century. In the 18th century, its control was contested by Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan on one hand and the British on the other. Under the Mysore sultans (1763), it became a strategic ship building base, which was ceded to the British in 1799 after numerous sieges.

Mangalore is one of the fastest developing cities in India. Many multinational corporations and domestic corporations are opening their branches in Mangalore. Many reputed builders are bringing huge development projects. There is very good growth in the retail sector and many new shopping malls are being built. Infosys Technologies has 2 Development Centers in Mangalore with over 3000 employees. MphasiS has their India Training Center based near Mangalore Club. Corporation Bank and Karnataka Bank have their headquarters inside the city and Syndicate Bank HQ is in Manipal. Other industries are MRPL, MCF, BASF, KIOCL, Ultratech Cement Plant are some of the other industries in the city.

Mangalore is also known as the 'Cradle of Education' in Karnataka with 16 Engineering(Nitk,surathkal being the rank 1 engineering college and MIT(manipal) being second), 6 Medical, 3 Dental, 12 MBA, 11 Physiotherapy, 8 Hotel Management and 58 Graduation colleges in and around the city.

Mangalore is a blend of the new and the old! With the increasing influx of students from various states of India and different parts of the world, Mangalore has virtually become a 'melting pot' of cultures, given the various communities that make up the social framework of Mangalore: the Tuluvas (Bunts, Billawas, Mogaveeras, Kulals,Brahmins,Jains,Devadigas,Chitpavan's), the Brahmins, the Konkani Catholics, the Bearys, the Goud-Saraswath Brahmins (Konkanas),Devang's(m'lore kannada and tulu) etc.

Talk

The number of languages spoken around here reflects the cultural diversity of Mangalore; Tulu (the most popular and most widely spoken language here, with a slight variation spoken by the Brahmin community), Kannada (the official state language), Konkani (two different versions exist: the one spoken by the Konkani Catholics and another spoken by the Konkanas or the Goud-Saraswaths). Beary is too spoken by Muslims. Haveeka is spoken by havyaka brahmins. English is also widely spoken, so communication shouldn't be much of a problem.

Get in

By plane

Mangalore International Airport (IATA: IXE) (ICAO: VOML), at Bajpe, about 20 km from the city centre. Currently there are daily flights to Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Kochi , Hyderabad , Chennai , Surat , Delhi and Calicut in the domestic segment and weekly/bi-weekly flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat (Oman), Doha (Qatar), Kuwait and Bahrain in the international segment.

By bus

There are two bus-stands in Mangalore for long-distance bus services.

One is the state-run KSRTC bus-stand in Bejai, located towards the North of the city, but not far off from the city centre. The bus-services are run by the [www.ksrtc.in Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation]. They operate scheduled bus services to Mumbai, Bangalore, Mysore, Goa, Hubli-Dharwad and many other areas within and outside Karnataka. Services run by the Kerala State Transport and Tamil Nadu State Transport and Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation also call in Mangalore at this very bus-stand.

The other one is behind the Town Hall. It is known as the 'State Bank' stand by the locals, because of its proximity to a branch of the State Bank of India. It is the last stop for most of the private bus services to Mangalore (mostly Inter-District viz. Mangalore-Udupi and Inter-taluk buses).

There is a third bus-stand (not exactly a bus-stand but an alighting point for passengers) in front of Milagres Church where most private tour and bus operators: Ideal Travels, Canara, Canara-Pinto, Vishal Travels, Anand Travels, VRL etc. have their offices. They operate buses of semi-deluxe, sleeper and Volvo types to various destinations viz. Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Thrissur, Hubli-Dharwad etc.

Various other pick-up points and drop points are there in Mangalore city according to your convenience!

There are numerous bus services from Mangalore to all the nearby towns in Karnataka and Kerala. The long-distance bus services to major cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Hubli-Dharwad and Goa run along the National Highways radiating to the North (towards Goa and Mumbai) NH-17, South (towards Kerala) and the East (towards Bangalore) NH-48.

By car

Mangalore is well connected to Goa, Mumbai, and Kerala via NH-17, to the state capital Bangalore via NH-48, and to Hyderabad via NH-13. Highways are only two-laned and very narrow, but make for extremely scenic drives as they all pass either through the Western Ghats or along the coastline. There is a lot of heavy traffic load on the highways owing to the increasing number of buses plying on these routes, as well as a lot of goods-transport trucks owing to the location of many plants and factories as well as New Mangalore Port on NH-17. So exercise caution while driving during periods of heavy traffic.

NH-48 from Sakleshpur to Mangalore, which had been completely unmotorable thanks to government apathy, is now repaired and somewhat motorable. Work is going on to convert NH-48 into a four-lane highway. Until they do this, one needs to go to Mangalore from Bangalore either through the potentially dangerous Charmadi Ghat road, or via the equally pathetic Mysore-Madikeri-Suliya route.

There are many car rental companies available.

Get around

By bus

There are numerous private bus companies which run bus services within the city of Mangalore and its suburbs. They have names like Padmambika Bus Co. Ltd. emblazoned in large letters in English on the front windscreen of the bus and on its sides. These buses also connect to all the minor urban centres surrounding Mangalore. Most of them originate from the Central Bus Stand at Mangalore behind the Town Hall: the 'State Bank' bus-stand.

Even though the buses are operated by different private companies, the bus numbering scheme is unified and quite useful. The destinations and routes are, however, all written in Kannada. The best way to use these buses is to ask around and the people are most helpful. If you are armed with a city map, one can get the hang of things within a day or so. The minimum bus fare is ₹5
If you are a student then you can avail concession on bus fares,that is, you just have ot pay half the bus fare.
In addition city bus service, there is limited stop (usually called express) bus service (the majority of these are run by various private bus companies) for inter-town/city travelling to neighbouring places. You may find these useful to visit places like Udupi, Manipal, Kaup, Karkala etc. Bus fare ranges between ₹14 to ₹35 for a distance up to 65 km.

By cab

White Ambassador Cabs/Indicas are available: usually used by passengers on long-haul routes. Shared cabs are also available for travel between the city and other talukas viz. Bantwal (BC Road), etc.
Prepaid cabs are available from the airport to the city: this is generally at a flat rate of ₹350-400.

Car-Rent facilities are also available in Mangalore.

By autorickshaws

They are available all throughout Mangalore City, the starting fare is ₹17. Pre-paid autos were available from the City Railway Station and the KSRTC bus stand at Bejai, but not any more. Autos also ply to far-off destinations, the outskirts, for one-and-a-half times the actual fare; this is roughly around ₹150, depending on the amount of money you have to spare, although one would prefer using buses to reach these areas as a cheaper mode of transport.

(The Auto drivers will charge exorbitant rates if you do not haggle. If there is a problem with them, just search for a cop nearby. If the cop talks to them, the Auto drivers treat you fairly.)

See

Mangaladevi Temple

Shree Shanaishchara Temple, Bajpe

Carstreet Venkataramana Temple

Kudroli Gokarnanatha

Kadri Manjunatheswara

Urwa Marigudi

Adyapady Adinatheshwara, Bajpe

Shree Shanaishchara Temple,Bajpe

Sharavu Ganapathi Temple

Kateel Durgaparameshwari

St. Aloysious Chapel

Milagres Church

Ullal Darga

Roasario Church, Bolar.

Do

Sunset at Tannirbhavi Beach

Adventure: For the adventurous, the Western Ghats near Mangalore provide an ideal location to get lost in the dense jungles.

Surf: India's first surf club "Mantra Surf Club" is located just 24Kms from Mangalore at Mulki. Just board an EXPRESS Bus heading towards Udupi and get down in Mulki. Ask for "Hare Krishna Ashram". The auto rickshaws charge around ₹20-30 from Mulki bus stand.

Pilikula Nisarga Dhama is about 12 km from city and is a tourist spot with "Manasa" water theme park, animal park, boating, science centre, arboretum,golf course etc., all in one place.

Swim: Mangalore has many clean and beautiful beaches:

Someshwar Beach is in Ullal, 11 km to the south of the city, near the confluence of the Netravati River and the Arabian Sea. The beachface is extremely rocky and considered dangerous for swimming. However, it is a great place to relax and watch the spectacular sunsets. Ullal is accessible by bus, train and autorickshaw from the city centre.

Panambur Beach is in Panambur, 10 km to the north of the city, near the New Mangalore Port and along the confluence of the Gurupur river and the Arabian Sea. This is comparatively more deserted and is a great spot for safe and secluded swimming. Panambur is well connected by bus and can also be reached by autorickshaw from the city centre.

Suratkal Beach is about 15 km to the north of the city.It has a beautiful lighthouse and few rocks.The biggest thing on this beach is its "sand".Its totally different from all other beaches that it is powder like as compared to sand type feeling at all other beaches. You can confirm it by walking barefoot on beach.This beach have one resort named :Red Rock Residency" where people come every weekends to enjoy with ow some food.

Tannirbavi Beach is one of the best beaches of Mangalore. One can enjoy the sunset view here.It is located at a distance of 12 Km from Mangalore.

Kapu Beach is about 45 km to the north. It can be reached by a the local express buses in 45 minutes. The beach has a lighthouse which is open to visitors.

Malpe Beach is about 60 km to the north.It can be reached by a the local express buses.This beach has a resort. Also there is a small island of the beach about 15 minutes boat ride.Local ferry runs every 30 minutes or so. The last ferry back from the island is at 5PM.

There are a lot of temples and churches to visit, or if that doesn't interest you, relaxing at the beach is a good idea.

Bhagavathi Kshetra, Kudroli.

someshwar somanath temple, someshwar (mangalore 14km).

Buy

There is no dearth of malls and shopping complexes in Mangalore. Apart from Hampankatta , Balmatta, Kankanady and posh Falnir, most of the new malls are coming up on MG Road which is a dual carriageway. The "Empire Mall" has the Nilgiris supermarket, Coffee Day, Amazon Multi cuisine restaurant and a few other retail chains. It also houses Combinations, a good store for artificial jewellery and cosmetic requirements, not as big as, but similar to Claire's.

The "Bharath Mall" has an Big Cinemas Multiplex, Big Bazaar,Food Bazaar, PlanetM, Pizza Hut, Pantaloons, Coffee Day, Subway, Adidas, Reebok, Provogue, Planet Sports, Swawroski, Levi's(R)etc. just to name a few. The Saibeen complex is also located on MG Road.

Karnataka's 2nd largest mall opened in Mangalore on 25 April 2010; The City Centre Mall. It is on K.S. Rao Road. It has a retail space of almost 800,000 square feet. Lifestyle, Westside, Spencers, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Landmark have already opened up at the mall. World's 4 largest Mexican-based multiplex operator: Cinepolis is finishing up its 5 screen multiplex at the mall.
Also there is Spar Hypermarket.

Like in Bangalore and Mumbai, you can find a huge crowd in the malls of Mangalore. During the end of the season, retailers like 'Pantaloons Retail India Ltd.' offer huge sales discounts like that which is done in Bangalore and Mumbai. People in Mangalore are also crazy about shopping.

Small fashion stores like 'Signature Shopping', 'Saree House', 'Envy' etc. are also present in Mangalore.

Adka's Cotton World is Mangalore's oldest retail clothing showroom spread over 6000 sqft which provides latest clothing trends in fashion for men, ladies and kids. It is located at Kankanady.

Supermarkets

There are various supermarkets across the city where you can get groceries & other daily items. A few of them are:

Ganesh Bazaar (GHS Road)

Janatha Bazaar (GHS Road)

Big Bazaar & Food Bazaar (Bharath Mall Bejai )

Nilgiri's (Empire Mall, Kankanady, Deralakatte)

Jimmy's Supermarket, the official groceries supplier of C.P. and visitors (Nathoor Tollgate and Falnir)

Apart from these, a few more supermarkets such as Spencers, Mark & Spencers, Reliance Fresh are expected to open their outlets in Mangalore.

Eat

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Udupi-style restaurants

There are numerous small restaurants where one can gorge on cheap food as long as one likes South Indian food. The most typical ones are the Udupi-style restaurants which serve the staple fare of idli, wada and a variety of dosas. You can wash them down with some home-grown filter coffee or tea.

One of the more famous Udupi-style restaurants is the Woodlands situated on Bunts Hostel Road which has preserved its old-world quaintness. The gentry of Mangalore drive into its courtyard and remain seated in their cars. Nimble-footed waiters with their white mundus hitched up scamper around to serve them their food which is eaten inside the cars.

The lunch menu in Woodlands is particularly tasty if you like typical South Indian food. Lunch includes two varieties of rice, normal rice and Boiled rice (Kerala style). The tiffin menu (evening) also is delicious with several choices. The dinner menu is very plain and contains many repeat dishes.

Taj Mahal, located in two different locations in Mangalore (Car Street,(since closed) Hampankatta & Kodialbail -Town hall- since closed). The Coffee served in Taj Mahal is regarded by many to be the best coffee available anywhere-the exact contents of the coffee powder used are kept a secret, Taj Mahal has a lot of patrons who visit the restaurant almost ritualistically thrice a day. Apart from the coffee there are a wide variety of dishes available including the dosas.

North-Indian Cuisine

If you are looking for North Indian food, you are not spoilt for choice. Some of the larger hotels have a larger menu but the food is not particularly appetizing. One important joint in this category would be the restaurant at Hotel Srinivas on G.H.S Road: awesome food at great prices (vegetrian-only).

Otherwise for the Mughlai-tandoori variety, don't forget to check out The Royal Darbar (Bendorewell-Kankanady Road) and The Mogul Treat (at Highlands, opposite Highland Hospital).

Seafood

Coconut Grove at hotel kumar's International is the most famous for mouth watering world delicacies in mangalore( opp Colaco hospital, bendore main road)

Narayana Hotel at Bunder is famous for delicious Mangalore style fish fry with fish curry rice.

Anupama (Bunts Hostel)

Amantran (Attavar, near the city railway station) is a must try for sea food.

Maharaja (near Jyoti)

Kings Court (highway near Kottara Chowki)

Madhuvan Village (Yeyyadi)

Palkhi (Jyothi circle)

Goldfinch(balmatta)

'Bombay Lucky' (next door Bunder Police station) is the best place to eat after late night parting.Its a typical greasy food joint serves tasty ghee rice,rice pathari,biriyani,fried chicken,mutton dishes(Bit greasy but good really good to settle your post party starving) .Must try their black tea with lime after food.

Kerala cuisine

Another category of small eateries is the Malayali joints. As Mangalore is adjacent to Kerala, it has a fair share of Malayalis who patronize these places. You will see that these eateries have their names written in large letters in the Malayalam script. They provide a selection of non-vegetarian food prepared in typical Kerala-style. A famous place to cite in this category would be Kairali Restaurant, near the Railway Station behind Milagres Church.

Premium Restaurants

If you're ready to spend a little more money to give yourself and your family that perfect tummy treat while in Mangalore, visit the various restaurants around which offer varied cuisines of your choice and taste, at a price! The 'Chicken Ghee Roast', which is a delicacy specifically of Dakshina Kannada is available at many of the premium restaurants.

Some of the famous restaurants:

The Saffron Spice,The Saffron boutique Hotel,GHS Road Hampankatta

Gajalee , Circuit House Compound, Kadri Hills

Coconut Grove , opp Colaco Hospital, Bendore main road, Kankanady

Abhiman Residency, Kadri Road near Bunts Hostel.

Paalkhi, (Balmatta Road) A four-star restaurant. Great food but will be heavy on your wallet.

Ice cream and Snacks

Mangalore is often labelled 'ice cream town' for the boom in the number of parlours in and around the city. Some of the most famous ones include:

Ideals', Hampankatta. There are three parlours (2 ideals, proximity located 200 metres of one another. One is located near the Milgres junction and the other one is near the next junction heading towards the market) 3rd one Pabba's, at Lalbagh diagonally facing Saibeen Complex . Ideals is marked as one of the best ice cream in DK, when you are in mangalore this is a must try place. You have to try out "GADBAD" ice cream which is only available in Ideals and the best of all ice creams. Gadbad icecream is an old favorite which has dry fruits and fresh ones chopped up with nuts, layered with icecream (strawberry and vanilla) and topped off with Jello. Hot favorites are "CHOCOLATE DAD" and "TIRAMISU".

Bon Bon's Bakery, Yeyyadi, near Madhuvan Village. Tiny place run by an old lady (gives a very homely feel to it) with absolutely awesome French Cakes and pastries, a must-taste. Hot favorite here is the "Day and Night" pastry.

Drink

Fruit Juice and Cold Drinks

An array of mini fruit juice stalls dot every nook and cranny of Mangalore City; at bus stops, near shopping areas, etc. that serve the usual fare of juices and milkshakes. Name it and it's all there for you. But this is not recommended if your gut is not immune to such juices! Normal restaurants would definitely be a hygienic alternative!

A must visit place i recommend: Srinidhi Juice & Snacks,Opp to Srinivasa Theater(Balaji),B.E.M High School Road,Carstreet, 50 Year old shop, Serves Fresh Fruit Juices, Fruit Chat, Lassi, Maggie, Pav Bhaji & other Snacks.

Aerated cold drinks like Coke & Pepsi are also available, just as in any other part of the world. Try out the local varieties, such as 'Zaffa' or 'Joy' for taste. If you want to have hygienically flavored sugarcane juice, then you will find a joint in Bharath Mall. You will wonder how much technology has changed these days!

Another must visit place is the Temple Square (Car street). The juice shop to check out is the one located between School book company & an Ayurvedic medicine shop.This juice shop specialises in dishing out concoctions made up of locally grown berries.Famous flavours include "Nannari", "Jaljeera", "Hingastak", "Birinda", and the rest is up to you to explore.The juice shop perfectly complements the fried delicacies served at "Balli's podi" located right across the street. Its the best place to eat "podis" in Mangalore. The mouth watering hot hot podis are irresistible.

Coffee Shops

Well there's the usual Cafe Coffee Day with its main outlet at Balmatta and four others at Deralakatte bang opposite the A.B. Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences campus, at the ONGC-MRPL Complex at Katipalla, Surathkal (near Infant Mary Church) and two new outlets opened recently, at the Empire Mega Mall (MG Road) and at Bharath Mall (Opposite KSRTC Bus Stand, Bejai). The outlets offer the youth a good hangout and a place to chill.

If you're game for just plain filter coffee, without the extra hype, try out any of the Udupi cafes. Like the Taj Mahal hotels at Car Street, Hampankatta and Town Hall areas.

Alcohol

And yes... if you're looking for that perfect night out with friends over a couple of beers or vodka, you can either buy your liquor from the many wineshops around: for example, HI-SPIRITS (Bendoorwell-Kankanady),rajaram wines(bolar) or you can check out the various resto-bars/lounge bars in the city. Some of the famous ones include:

The Liquid Lounge (Balmatta Road the general youth hangout!)- A legendary name in Mangalore.

Pegasus (Jeppinamogaru near Fisheries College). It's very expensive but is a great place to hang out.

Kainos (at Abhiman Residency in the Bunts Hostel Area)

Village (Yeyyadi road)- Known for its excellent ambiance.

Amazon (Empire mega mall, M.G.Road Lalbagh)

Mangala Bar n' Restaurant (Opp. Retreat House, Valencia)

Froth on Top (Balmatta)- Though they serve only Beer and Wine, they're reputed for their ambience, hookah and if you're lucky, the occasional get the guitar and start singing crowd.

Wine Gate (Balmatta)- A liquor supermarket with a another floor to dine and drink.

Splurge

The Gateway Hotel (A part of Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces), Old Port Road (Near State Bank of India, Pandeshwar), ☎+91 (0)824-6660420 (manjarun.mangalore@tajhotels.com, fax: +91-824-6660585), [4]. while the hotel itself is not bad, the surroundings are definitely smelly and sub-par.₹2016-6720.

Hotel Woodside (Not to be confused with Hotel Woodside Business Hotel), K.S. Rao road (Opposite The Goldfinch Hotel), ☎+91 (0)824-4278550, [13]. Very clean and big, newly renovated rooms. Very surprised to find this quality at the price. But food is a no no.₹1300 for double with private bathroom, Air Con, Television.

Stay safe

Malaria is endemic in Mangalore. So, don't forget to carry your mosquito repellent creams, mosquito mats, coils, liquidators, etc. along with you (let that be your first priority on your list of things to pack!). Consult your doctor for advice on malaria prophylaxis before you arrive in Mangalore. If you have the slightest idea of a fever with chills, rush yourself to a nearby hospital to get yourself checked.

Also, it is advisable to get yourself vaccinated for Hepatitis A (food-borne Hepatitis) in case you haven't been vaccinated already.

Three things will do more to prevent an upset stomach or other traveling aliments than anything else:

Always choose water from filters (Aquaguard water) or bottled mineral water, just to be on the safe side.

Carrying water free hand sanitizer is a must (Germ-X, Purell, etc.) Go ahead and eat with your hands like everyone else! Once you use your hand sanitizer your hands are cleaner than the silverware that was washed with water you don't want to drink.

Always choose foods that are steaming hot. Food is often prepared ahead of time so you want to see it cooked or see the steam coming of the food.

Get out

Bangalore, Hassan, Coorg, Shimoga

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